Lubricating compound for insulated electric wires



Patented a. 22, 1929 1,732,882

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUSTAVE R, ESPING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO LUBRICATING COMPOUND FOR INSULATED ELECTRIC WIRES No Drawing. Application filed August 28, 1926. Serial No. 132,325.

This invention relates to a compound for purpose contains the following ingredients application to insulated electric wires preparin approximately the proportions named atory to pulling them through pipes or 0on Per cent duits commonly used for housing the wlres Moisture 91 in the electric wiring of buildings and other Silica 96 50 Structures, and to the method of Producing Oil ofldlfifdl11:11:11: 2120 Such a compound Potassium hydroxid 5.84E

It is well known that, in such electrical installations as above referred to, it is neces- With this base is compounded other subsary to pull or draw insulated wires through stances as follows:

conduit systems which frequently involve Five pounds of soap of the above general very long and tortuous and more or less recharacter is cut up and dissolved in eight stricted passages, and unless the wires are quarts of water. This is heated toatemperalubricated in some way this work is extremely ture of from 160 to 180 degrees F. One-halt 1.; difficult and is liable to result in injury to the "pound of suet and one-half pound of slippery so insulation. This fact is more evident when elm bark is placed in approximately six it is remembered that the ordinary insulaquarts of water and is boiled until they form tion on electric wires is more or less sticky, a thick gruel-like substance to which sufespecially when subjected to the strain of the ficientwater is added when necessary to bring pull necessary to draw such wires through the the completed gruel-like substance up to a conduits or when exposed to heat even in a quantity of five quarts. This gruel-like subminor degree. Heretofore powdered soapstance is added to the above ei ht quarts of stone, ordinary soft soap or oil soap, oil and soapy solution and is stirred in the presence grease have often been used as lubricants for of heat until the two are thoroughly mixed.

this purpose, butsuch substances invariably The mixture is then removed from the inreact with marked deteriorating eliects upon fluence of the heat and is placed in a suitable the insulation of the wires, and some of these mixing machine and agitated until it becomes substances have a tendency to coagulate in afoamy substance. The machine is then the conduit making it almost impossible, if stopped and the mixture allowed to settle 30 not quite so, to withdraw the wires from the from three to live minutes. Next, cool water conduits, which is often necessary in electric is injected into the cooling jacket of the mixwork, sometimes years after the original ining machine around the mixing pot, and at stallation. the same time the mixture is stirred slowly,

The object of my invention is to provide a allowing it to take up and hold suiiicient air 35 highly efficient compound for the purpose to inflate the bulk of the compound to apabove set forth that has no ill effects upon the proximately four times its original size, and insulation and from which-after the comincrease its foamy characteristics. pound has served its purpose-the moisture The compound is then cooled gradually to present therein evaporates, leaving only a a temperature of approximately 60 degrees 40 light powdery substance which presents no F. and placed in suitable containerspreferdifiiculties to, but rather enhances, the withably paraflin coated wooden containersdrawal of the wires from the conduits when having small drain openings at their bottom such becomes necessary. and permitted to stand in the same tempera The compound has a saponaceous base. A ture for about ten days, which permits any 4 soap which I have found suitable for this free moisture to drain from the compound.

Following this, the mixture is placed in suitable receptacles, preferably parafiin coated, and sealed and is now ready or shipment or storage.

The completed preparatlon' 1s a foamy, aerated substance having quick drying properties when exposed to the air for any ap preciable length of time, and by reason of its qualities is peculiarly suited for use as a lubricant for insulated electric wires when pulling or drawing them through conduits.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The method'of producing a lubricating compound for insulated electric conductors which consists in dissolving five ounds of a potash soap made from cottonsee oil in eight quarts of water, heating this solution to a temperature of from to F placing one-half pound suet and one-half pound of slippery elm bark in approximately six quarts of water and boiling the same until it forms a thick gruel-like substance, adding sufficient water to bring the complete quantity of gruel-like substance up to five quarts, mixing the gruel-like substance and soap solution and stirring the same in the presence ofheat until thoroughly mixed, removing the compound from the influence of the heat and thoroughly agitating it until it has the consistency of a thick foam, next allowing the substance to stand for from two to five minutes, then cooling and stirring the compound slowly allowing it to take up and hold a sufiicient quantity of air to increase the bulk of the compound to approximately four times its original volume, allowing the compound to cool gradually to a tem erature of about 60 F., and next placing t e compound in containers and permitting it to stand subjected to a constant temperature for about ten days so as to allow any free moisture to drain from the compound.

2. A lubricating compound for insulated wires comprising a potash soap, suet, slippery elm bark, and water in the ap roximate proportions by weight of soap ve parts, suet one-half part, slippery elm bark one-ha lf part and water twenty-six parts.

3. A lubricating compound for insulated wires comprising a potash soap made from cottonseed oil and mcluding a small percentage of silica, suet, slippery elm bark and water in approximately the followin proportions, soap five parts, suet one-half part, slippery elm bark one-half'part and water twenty-six parts, said compound having suflicient' air incorporated therewith to have the consistency of a foam.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

GUSTAVE R. ESPING. 

